


The Haunting of Wayne Manor

by BuckinghamAlice



Series: Spending Holidays with the SuperBats [13]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Superman/Batman (Comics)
Genre: Domestic, Family Dynamics, Gen, Halloween, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 08:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2541524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckinghamAlice/pseuds/BuckinghamAlice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Chris, Damian, and Colin fear there is a ghost* in the attic, it disrupts Clark and Bruce's plans for their evening.</p><p> </p><p>*Approximately 0% actually spookiness</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Haunting of Wayne Manor

It had been a successful Halloween. All of the other older kids were out of the house (at a Halloween party for all the current and former Teen Titans) and Damian and Chris (plus their guest Colin) were in bed, probably dreaming of the mounds of candy they had earned while trick-or-treating as a zombified version of the Three Musketeers.

Bruce had gone out on patrol. He’d left Clark at home and promised to be back as soon as possible (provided that nothing went wrong), but Clark was hopeful he’d see his husband soon. He’d made Bruce promise to call him at the first sign of trouble, because he knew this was one of the craziest nights in the year for Gotham. Reluctantly Bruce had agreed, and Clark could only assume it was because he wanted to get home as well. There had yet to be a distress call, and to Clark that seemed a good sign.

But they had had plans for before Bruce’s patrol. Their lives were officially chaotic enough (and they had enough loud, noisy, and surprisingly lovable children) that they sometimes had to schedule sex… and it was scheduled for that evening. But they’d taken the boys trick-or-treating and let them stay out too late, so there hadn’t been enough time before Bruce had to go out. Clark was in bed, still wearing his fireman costume (though without a shirt), waiting for his Batman to come home. Clark wasn’t sure if the fireman would rescue Batman or the other way around… they both had their benefits. Either way, though… Clark hoped they’d be able to get to it soon.

Clark pulled a mini Snickers bar he had snagged from one of the kids out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. As he glanced at the clock (at 3:07 AM, he noted) he heard a brief thumping sound, like footsteps above him and he wondered momentarily if Bruce had come home early. But there was no reason for his footsteps to be in the attic, was there?

Just then there was a knock at the door, followed by a small figure dashing over toward the bed.

“Dad!” the small figure called. Before Clark fully realized what was happening, Chris was practically in his lap.

“Is everything okay?” he asked the boy, trying to smile reassuringly.

Chris clutched one of the suspenders from Clark’s fireman costume. “I heard a noise, and…”

Just then, Damian barreled into the room with Colin at his side. “I told you it was nothing to be afraid of, Kent!”

“What? The noise?” Clark asked. “Oh, Damian is right. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Damian narrowed his eyes then and tilted his head. “Of course I’m right. But why the hell are you still wearing your costume? And what happened to your shirt?”

“Um,” Clark began. “I just…”

_Creeeaaak._

Clark sighed in relief as he was saved by the sound interrupting them. But Chris was so tense he practically jumped even further into Clark’s lap.

“What was that?” Colin asked.

Damian sighed impatiently, his bare foot tapping against the wood floor. “Nothing for you to worry about. I already told you both.”

“You guys, I’m sure it’s just the house settling,” Clark replied. “Old houses do that… they make funny noises on chilly nights like this. It’s nothing to concern yourselves with.”

“Really?” Chris asked.

Clark smiled. “Yes, really.” He glanced back to the clock and said, “And you should all _really_ be in bed. It’s very late.”

Chris reluctantly removed himself from Clark’s chest and started to join the other boys on their way out the door, and all was well again until another sound, a low screech this time, came from the attic. Clark glanced skeptically toward the source of the sound and then back to Damian, who was far calmer than either of the other boys. He couldn’t help wondering what the boy was hiding.

Another creaking sound happened, and Colin called, “Oh, no!” at the same moment as Chris practically sobbed, “It’s Old Jared Wayne!”

“Who on Earth is Old Jared Wayne?” Clark demanded.

Damian sighed. “I can handle this.”

“Handle what?” Clark asked. Looking at the terror on Chris’s face, Clark sighed again. “Damian, what did you do?”

Colin shook his head. “It’s not his fault.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Damian replied disdainfully. “ _I_ just know how to deal with him!”

“Him who?” Clark asked. “What is all this Jared Wayne stuff?”

Chris wrinkled his nose. “It’s the ghost in the attic. We know all about him.”

“He died in this house in 1792,” Colin explained. “And he was brilliant, but also crazy.”

“And he’s an ancestor of mine,” Damian supplied. “So _I_ can handle it.”

Clark shook his head. “Boys, that’s ridiculous. There’s no ghost in the attic. Who told you all a story like that?”

“Kon,” Chris replied. “And Cass. And…”

“Drake,” Damian interrupted, clinching his fist.

Clark sighed, and thought about Bruce, who was no doubt zipping between roof tops at the moment, despite the fact that apparently the real Halloween troubles were at home. “You guys,” he began. “I think the older kids were just teasing you. Siblings do that sometimes. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t wrong, but…” Clark was interrupted when another thumping sound came from the attic.

“If there isn’t a ghost up there, who’s doing that?” Colin asked.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Clark offered. “We’ll go check and see what’s going on up there.”

Chris frowned. “And let the ghost attack us?”

“You’ll be safe with me,” Damian said seriously. Then, reluctantly, he added, “And your dad.”

Clark (with Chris riding piggyback) and the boys went up the creaking flight of stairs that lead to the attic. Colin was close behind Clark, and even Damian was standing rigidly straight and closer than usual as they walked. When they reached the attic, Damian was the brave one who pushed the door open. Clark noticed that he seemed to be assuming a fighting position. He smiled to himself, because Damian was planning to protect all of them from what he thought was the ghost of his crazy genius ancestor… and that was oddly precious.

Just like something out of a horror movie, the lights in the attic wouldn’t come on so they all illuminated their path with the light from their cell phones. The attic was organized pretty well, with neatly stacked boxes and room to walk between them. They weren’t even covered in dust and cobwebs because Alfred didn’t allow that sort of thing under his roof. It didn’t look like a home for a ghost, though Clark couldn’t imagine how he’d convince the boys of that fact. But luckily, after a quick glance around the room, Clark saw the source of the mysterious noises: a small, but surprisingly loud speaker was propped in the farthest corner of the attic, between a couple of old boxes.

“Chris, look,” Clark began, pointing to the speaker. “It was all just…”

But after that, things happened very quickly. Damian jumped and Colin screamed. Those two reacting like that caused Chris to scream louder than he meant to. Damian whipped around behind him and swung his fist.

“He’s got us,” Colin said in a tone that was at once miserable and matter-of-fact.

Clark turned around to see exactly what he expected. It was in fact a Wayne (and one nearly as pale as a ghost) but it wasn’t Old Jared. It was just Bruce, looking thoroughly confused.

“Calm down, everyone,” Clark said, mostly to soothe Chris, who still felt completely tense. “It’s not a ghost, just your dad!”

Bruce, who was wearing a remarkably tight cop costume, put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “What the hell are you all doing up here?”

“Ghost hunting,” Clark replied.

Bruce sighed. “I assume this was a Halloween prank?”

“The joys of older siblings,” Clark answered. He let Chris slide down off of his back and went and disconnected the speaker. Next to it was a little note that said, “Happy Halloween, brats.” Clark rolled his eyes and pocketed that, assuming it wouldn’t make the younger kids feel any better right then.

After that was all settled, everyone shuffled out of the attic and back down the stairs. Finally, when they were in a bit more light, Damian looked at his father with narrowed eyes and asked, “First, why didn’t you tell me about Jared Wayne? And second, what are you wearing?”

Bruce sighed. “ _Jared_ Wayne? I didn’t tell you about him because there is no such person. I hate to tell you this, but I think someone has been pulling your leg. And I’m wearing… my Halloween costume.”

“But you wearing a Batman costume earlier,” Chris interjected. “Remember? You called it a ‘silly looking, store bought thing?’”

“That… was my evening costume,” Bruce replied. “This is my night costume.”

Clark tried not to laugh at that. As much as he had been looking forward to _Batman_ coming home, the cop thing was pretty appealing. And Bruce probably had some handcuffs waiting for him, if not a number of other items.

“Now that you all know you’re safe, you should probably get back to bed,” Clark suggested gently.

Chris groaned a little. “Can’t we sleep with you?”

Clark and Bruce locked eyes briefly. Chris was obviously still a little scared, and he probably wouldn’t sleep by himself. It was important that Chris felt secure and comfortable… more important that whatever he and Bruce might have had planned.

“Well…” Clark began. “Only if you’ll all actually go to sleep.”

“We will!” Chris agreed eagerly, so Clark shooed him on to the bedroom. Colin raced after him, but Damian hesitated for a moment.

He cleared his throat quickly before saying, “I was never scared. I’m just going to stay with them for solidarity.”

“And neither of us would suggest otherwise,” Bruce replied stoutly.

Damian followed the other boys and Clark and Bruce eyed each other silently and both shared a sigh. Clark offered Bruce his hand.

“Cut patrol short, I see,” Clark replied.

Bruce nodded. “It was surprisingly quiet out there.”

Clark laughed once. “Unlike here.”

“I suppose tomorrow we need to have a talk with the older ones about terrorizing the younger ones,” Bruce announced.

Clark nodded. “Suppose so. Nice ‘night costume,’ by the way.”

“Yours isn’t so bad either,” Bruce replied. “Shirtless was definitely the way to go.”

With a smile, Clark asked, “Do you think we could find time tomorrow for the fireman to carry the cop to safety and for the cop to frisk the fireman?”

“Count on it,” Bruce replied.

The two walked quietly along to their bedroom, where they would spend the night on opposite sides of the bed, separated by the three exhausted ghost hunters. But there was still tomorrow, and celebrating a holiday a day late actually wasn’t too bad for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Because I just apparently really enjoy writing about their kids disrupting their sex life.


End file.
